Job opportunities in the Spa and Salon industries

6/8/2017

Alan Cohen

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Opportunity just knocked in the spa and salon businesses.

These companies are enjoying solid growth. Sales have cleared $23 billion a year at the more than 1 million salons and climbing annually, according to federal statistics. In fact, the number of salon and spa establishments has ballooned more than 83 percent in just the last decade.

The growth has been fueled by Americans who have begun to realize the value of staying in shape, relaxing, and getting massages and other health-related treatments as well as just looking great..

That good news is tempered by one problem: there aren’t enough employees to handle the surge of business, even though spas and salons now are hiring 16 percent more staff than a decade ago.

That’s where you come into the picture. Jobs in spas and salons are readily available on both a part-time and full-time basis, regardless of your skills. An abundance of job openings exist for hair stylists, estheticians, nail techs, waxing specialists, massage therapists and on all levels of management and customer service.

Resort and destination spas also offer an array of fitness and wellness opportunities, explained David-Dorian Ross, a wellness manager for Montage Resort and Spa in Laguna Beach, California, who has consulted for a wide range of world-renowned spas. In a published interview, he explained, “You can work as a fitness or wellness manager. You can be a permanent full-time staff person who teaches classes, works as a personal trainer or watches the fitness center floor. Another option is to come in on an adjunct or on-call basis to teach classes, offer lifestyle coaching or personal training. There are crossover areas if you’re multitalented: you could be a massage therapist and a personal trainer, for example, and build your clientele by cross-referring your guests into both areas.”

The opportunities are wide open.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the salon and spa industries “provide first jobs and career opportunities for individuals of all backgrounds, and have a broader representation of women and minorities than the overall U.S. workforce.”

Women form the vast majority of spa and salon workers, while more than 13 percent are either African-American or Hispanic, which is higher than the national average for any industry. Another 18 percent are Asian, which is three times the national average.

There are also plenty of management jobs for employees with some experience in the field. Federal statistics show that spa and salon industries provide jobs for 130,000 to 180,000 managers and directors. At the same time, thousands of students worldwide are enrolled in degree programs to get trained to become a spa or salon manager.

Pay is good, too. A top manager can expect to earn close to $60,000. Even starting full-time jobs began around $23,000 a year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Experienced stylists, massage therapists and beauticians can earn upwards to $50,000 annually.

Alan Cohen is a renowned fitness industry career expert with more than 30 years of experience in the health and fitness industry. He is the founder and president of FitnessJobs.com and SpaandSalonJobs.com. Alan can be reached at alan@fitnessjobs.com or by calling (800) 259-4397.